KATHMANDU, APRIL 13 Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) officials are facing allegations of violating NAC regulations in the appointment of First Officer (FO) Roshan Koirala on a contract basis for the Airbus A-320 fleet. A source within NAC stated that at the time of Koirala's appointment, he had already surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 58, as stipulated by corporation regulations. Despite this, NAC allegedly violated its own rules by selecting him for expensive and long-term training, resulting in a gross misuse of institutional resources. The appointment was reportedly facilitated during the tenure of former Operations Director Captain Srawan Rijal, in collusion with the NAC Human Resources Department. According to sources, Koirala should not have been appointed as a First Officer, as he was simultaneously flying the Let L-410 aircraft for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service in Africa. Holding active roles in two different organizations at the same time is considered a direct violation of regulatory standards and professional responsibility. Although NAC management defended Koirala's appointment by citing a pilot shortage, internal data suggests otherwise. Currently, 10 First Officers remain inactive at NAC without type-rating, while six Twin Otter First Officers are fully qualified for Airbus conversion. Several senior captains at NAC had expressed willingness to undergo Airbus A-320 training at their own expense; however, they were overlooked, while Koirala-who had already reached retirement age-was given preference. Sources further claim that Koirala was selected due to his familial relationship (in-law) with the current Operations Director, Captain Subash Rijal. Over the past six years, pilots from the MA-60 and Y-12 fleets-including Prachanda Shrestha, Robin KC, Prashant Shah, Melsam Ojha, Pratik Poudel, Badal Raj Gupta, Ananda Kumar Shrestha, Ram Krishna Shrestha, Ankit Bohara, and Srijana Acharya-have remained inactive. Similarly, NAC has reportedly ignored Twin Otter pilots such as Abin Gauchan, Vivek Pyakurel, Bishworaj Thapa, Nimisha Nepal, Santosh Yadav, and Amrit Khanal, who are qualified for Airbus training. During the tenure of current Operations Director Captain Subash Rijal, NAC allegedly bypassed established standards for training and examination processes. Sources claim that the typically computer-based examination was converted to a paper-based format specifically for Koirala. Furthermore, instead of having the question paper prepared by qualified Airbus instructor pilots, a non-type-rated pilot, Sanjay Poudel, was tasked with preparing and evaluating the examination. According to NAC regulations, Airbus instructors are required to prepare examination papers, and an expert panel must verify the results. However, these rules were allegedly violated, as Koirala was awarded 100 percent marks without proper evaluation of his answer sheet, and his individual scores were not disclosed. An email sent to the Crew Training Division from the Operations Department on February 16-stating that the question paper would be provided directly from the Operations Director's office-has raised serious concerns regarding the confidentiality and fairness of the examination process. Despite being aware of the situation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) reportedly took no action against those suspected of misconduct. According to OM-A provisions, type-rating and a minimum of 500 flight hours on type are mandatory for direct-entry pilots; however, these requirements were not followed. Even though the training agreement with CAE Malaysia had expired, and a subcommittee had attempted to halt the process, the training reportedly continued under a conditional arrangement approved by the Operations Director. NAC is reportedly fast-tracking Koirala's training prior to his retirement without obtaining the required bank guarantee or collateral, as mandated by regulations. Sources allege that institutional resources are being misused to provide costly training to a relative of the Operations Director for personal benefit. Sources further state that this incident of favoritism has demoralized other pilots and significantly damaged institutional credibility. Attempts to contact Captain Subash Rijal and Roshan Koirala for comment were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, stakeholders have called for an independent investigation into the matter. Both Subash Rijal and Srawan Rijal have previously been indicted in the wide-body aircraft corruption case. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has accused them, along with Ganesh Bahadur Chand and Karna Bahadur Thapa, of causing financial liability through increased maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), resulting in additional payments. The CIAA has sought to recover Rs. 1,471,085,482.85 from the accused. Similarly, the CIAA has charged several other officials-including former Acting General Manager Ramesh Bahadur Shah, Senior Captain Rabindra Kumar Sherchan, Rabindra Shrestha, Upendra Paudel, Srawan Rijal, Paras Paudel, Umesh Paudel, and Brihatman Tuladhar-with corruption. According to the CIAA, these individuals failed to properly evaluate proposals as required by law and instead recommended acceptance of a non-responsive proposal. The same amount-Rs. 1,471,085,482.85-has been sought for recovery from them. In response, Srawan Rijal stated in a Facebook post that media reports alleging favoritism toward Koirala were misleading, baseless, and lacked factual foundation. He clarified that he served as Operations Director only until mid-March 2024. From mid-March 2024 to mid-January 2026, Captain Dipu Raj Juharchan held the position, and since mid-January 2026, Captain Subash Rijal has been serving in that role. Koirala's appointment was made in February 2025. Srawan Rijal further stated that Koirala would not have been appointed if he were not qualified and added that it is common for individuals with family relationships to work within the same organization.